Cruz, Seliger, Craddick among speakers at political event

By Joseph Basco | jbasco@mrt.com

Published 11:14 am, Sunday, May 11, 2014

When one thinks of Austin and festivals, South by Southwest and Austin City Limits Festival immediately come to mind.

In some ways, the Texas Tribune Festival -- a gathering at the University of Texas of political figures -- could be held in the same regard as the music fests. It takes place in Austin, lasts three days and features notable guests.

The Texas Tribune Festival, planned for Sept. 19-21, will feature more than 150 politicians, newsmakers and others for a gathering of “big brains and big names talking politics and public policy,” according to its website.

Some of the big names revealed on May 1 include U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, state House Speaker Joe Straus, state Democratic lieutenant governor candidate Leticia Van de Putte, Washington Post’s Nia-Malika Henderson and MSNBC’s Chris Hayes.

Texas Tribune doesn’t appear to want to distance itself from the “South by” and “ACL” audiences that care more about indie bands than independent politicians. South by Southwest is one of the festival’s title sponsors.

The Texas media organization that specializes in politics and government makes more apt comparisons, dubbing its own Austin festival “Woodstock for wonks” and “Super Bowl for wonks.”

“We want people to understand that this is not just a boring conference for three days with people in dark suits droning on,” said Evan Smith, Texas Tribune’s chief executive officer and editor-in-chief. “This is more of an opportunity to immerse yourself in the conversation you would be having anyway about the state’s future.”

Smith said this event gives residents from around the state the opportunity to ask elected officials questions. This doesn’t happen often, he said.

“And in a state with largely non-competitive elections, you have an even rarer opportunity to talk to elected officials because they don’t need to ask for your vote in a way that requires them to appear in events they don’t control or answer questions that they already have in advance,” Smith said.

Additional participants are expected to be announced in the coming months. Notably absent from the initial lineup are gubernatorial candidates Attorney General Greg Abbott and state Sen. Wendy Davis.

“As they say at the Legislature, ‘not advised,’” said Smith, a veteran of the journalism business. “I can neither confirm nor deny things that may or may not be on the list of future announcements. Nice try.”

Go to texastribune.org/festival/ for more information on the Texas Tribune Festival, including an up-to-date list of speakers and registration information.

Conaway, R-Midland, is serving his fifth term in the U.S. House of Representatives. He represents the 11th Congressional District, which consists of 29 counties in Central and West Texas and includes Midland, Odessa and San Angelo.

Conaway is a deputy Republican whip, the chairman of the House Ethics Committee and serves on the House Agriculture, Armed Services and Intelligence committees. Conaway also serves as chairman of the General Farm Commodities and Risk Management Subcommittee, and as chairman of the Terrorism, Human Intelligence, Analysis and Counterintelligence Subcommittee.